A common complaint I’ve been seeing among romance anime watchers is the slow, sometimes even described as “non-existent” progression of the main characters’ relationship. There are very few titles which can offer you a pair of characters being a couple from the get-go, instead of making you wait seasons to see them hold hands or (excuse me while I utter this apparently indescribably awkward word) kiss each other. What always seemed to make even less sense to me, was additionally making a said show a harem one. As much as I’ve always been into anime rom-coms, I just couldn’t ever make head or tail of the whole love triangle/harem shtick. It’s not like a bunch of girls (or, in case of reverse harems, guys) chasing after MC’s appreciation, especially for an extended period of time, could be worth my time, could it?

…to my surprise, it absolutely could!

I know this is a review of season two, but let me briefly describe the plot to season one for those of you unfamiliar with the series. The story follows Uesugi Fuutarou, a high school student at the top of his grade, as he helps Nakano sisters, the titular quintuplets, improve their horrific grades. Their relationship is one of a tutor and students, as Uesugi’s sole goal is to earn money to pay the rent of his broke family. His position, however, is outright dire, as the girls have no interest in Fuutarou helping them better themselves, while their father will not hesitate to give him the sack if quintuplets’ grades don’t improve. While the premise of the first season was promising in itself, those first twelve episodes failed to leave an impression on me. The progression felt slower than Oregairu S1, the art, animation and soundtrack were just okay, some episodes even felt straight up cringey to me. Sure, the characters, or rather some of them, were a good driving force of the show, but if it wasn’t for the second’s season appearance in the Winter 2021 season, I would have dismissed Go-toubun as a mediocre show without a whole lot to defend itself.

And yet, 5-Toubun no Hanayome ∬ did happen, and it was glorious.

While I’m still at Oregairu, do you remember when that show switched studios after season one, and went from a memorable, though simplistic art style, to one far more detailed, but less original? Go-toubun went through the same thing, except in reverse. The generic look of preceding season evolved into… well, I’m no artist, so pardon my inability to properly put my thoughts into words, but what we got surely was a livelier, more charming style, with smoother animation to top it off. The soundtrack never struck me as particularly memorable, though I do feel like those few tracks I do recall fit the mood of their scenes well.

Understandably, as much as it improved, it is not the art that elevates this show to more than just regular seasonal trash. The second cour manages to flesh out its characters through fantastic character development. The quintuplets don’t feel one-dimensional, and Fuutarou, miraculously, turns out not to be a generic self-insert protagonist he seemed to be at first. Interactions between the cast members are genuinely pleasant to watch, the jokes land far better this time around, the storyline actually has a sense of direction and leaves no worrying plot holes behind. While the story keeps moving forward, so do the characters – their emotional growth results in their confident and resolved actions, which in turn lead to a fast-paced narrative (the good kind of fast-paced). The result is a romance show that keeps the viewer on the edge of their seat, as they eagerly wait to see Go-toubun unwrap.

Frankly speaking, I think that in itself is the exact reason why this series is such a good harem – after all, the genre itself is the very strength of the show. Instead of seeing the main couple be all lovey-dovey with each other, we’re presented with a vastly different spectacle, one which I think could very well be compared to an F1 race. The fun lies in watching your favorite racer try to triumph against the competition, with all the twists along the way keeping the viewer equally as entertained as the wait for the end result itself. Sometimes, however, the driver you root for fails to win the race, and none of the spotlight the race itself received during its run is remembered later on, as the end result is all that matters to most viewers. Contrary to that, it doesn’t even matter to me all too much who wins this race, as the ride itself is more than enough for me to remember this show well. ~~Maybe the real reward were the waifus we’ve met along the way?~~

In all seriousness, I really find this season to be one of the most endearing rom-coms in recent memory. It manages to go against some established tropes, place amusing characters in a compelling narrative, and put its own twist on the genre. On another note, going into this show, I expected some kind of ecchi bait to be the sole reason for people to watch it, but, to my surprise, I found none of it. As it turns out, not all harems need to be perverted in this weird anime way we all know. I couldn’t be more glad to have been proven wrong.

Ultimately, I was incorrect to dismiss this show as another seasonal anime everyone would forget about within a week or two. 5-Toubun no Hanayome ∬ is an admirable sequel, which manages to elevate itself from an ordinary rom-com to a well-done character study, and a surprisingly easy watch. If you’re willing to go through the first mediocre season of Quintessential Quintuplets to experience a truly entertaining ride, I highly recommend it. Will you find it to be as phenomenal as I did? Even if you won’t, I can guarantee you will find it to be a notable experience. Don’t make the same mistake as I did, and try not to dismiss this one just for its genre tags.

P.S. Nino Gang all the way